(Srila Prabhupada: Lecture, Los Angeles, February 8, 1969)
Krishnadasa Kaviraja, a 16th century poet and biographer of Lord Caitanya, defines eloquence: "truth spoken concisely." Here, Srila Prabhupada cuts through hype and lays bare the dividing line between the materialist and spiritualist. Its not that the quest for pleasure is at question -- that drive is as real and natural as hunger or thirst -- but the point, Srila Prabhupada reminds us, is what you do with it.
How revolutionary! What a relief for my generation, a generation whose early definition of materialism came from a young Madonna.
I remember the day I first watched it: laying on my elbows, eyes glued to the TV set. She strutted out, dressed as an obvious ode to Marilyn Monroe (although I was too young to know who that was), dyed blond hair bobbing seductively in tune with curvaceous body. Cigarette holder in hand and fur wrap draping her bare shoulders, she directed a willing team of man-servants to carry her Tiffany shopping bags. "We are living in a material world," she confessed, "and I am a material girl."
My senses thoroughly scandalized and my head spinning, I concluded that materialistic meant just what Madonna intoned: get, enjoy, get some more. And even as she lorded over her objects of acquisition (Tiffany bags full of luxurious gifts), she became an object herself, to be lusted after, acquired, and enjoyed by legions of fans. A perfectly natural arrangement; of course, the problem was that, although it felt natural, it also went horribly wrong. Being a material girl (or boy) seemed a lot less fun when you had to factor in the guilt, pain, and frustration.
Srila Prabhupada's definition brings hope. The very fact that we seek pleasure confirms that we need it, that it is there for our taking. And the fact that we feel more frustration when we seem to find it in the acquisitions of this world -- in 5th Avenue purchases, fast cars, sexual pursuits, big houses -- should clue us in that, perhaps, we are simply looking for it in the wrong place.
Ultimately, for a devotee of Krishna, going within means realizing one's eternal identity as a pure, loving servant of the Supreme Reservoir of Pleasure, Sri Krishna. We are spiritual beings because our source is a purely spiritual personality. In Krishna consciousness spirituality is not some navel-gazing theoretical exercise. It is practical, focused, joyful living. It is experiencing a higher taste. Yes, there are struggles. As our pliable faith is being forged, we flutter back and forth between the external and the internal. Hopefully, with time and grace, we develop the humility to learn our lessons.
And what about our material girl? Well, if her reportedly sincere foray into the meditative world of Kabbalah is any indication, Madonna may finally be seeking pleasure internally as well. More than 20 years later, maybe hers is not such a material world after all.
.vbd.
Krishnadasa Kaviraja, a 16th century poet and biographer of Lord Caitanya, defines eloquence: "truth spoken concisely." Here, Srila Prabhupada cuts through hype and lays bare the dividing line between the materialist and spiritualist. Its not that the quest for pleasure is at question -- that drive is as real and natural as hunger or thirst -- but the point, Srila Prabhupada reminds us, is what you do with it.
How revolutionary! What a relief for my generation, a generation whose early definition of materialism came from a young Madonna.
I remember the day I first watched it: laying on my elbows, eyes glued to the TV set. She strutted out, dressed as an obvious ode to Marilyn Monroe (although I was too young to know who that was), dyed blond hair bobbing seductively in tune with curvaceous body. Cigarette holder in hand and fur wrap draping her bare shoulders, she directed a willing team of man-servants to carry her Tiffany shopping bags. "We are living in a material world," she confessed, "and I am a material girl."
My senses thoroughly scandalized and my head spinning, I concluded that materialistic meant just what Madonna intoned: get, enjoy, get some more. And even as she lorded over her objects of acquisition (Tiffany bags full of luxurious gifts), she became an object herself, to be lusted after, acquired, and enjoyed by legions of fans. A perfectly natural arrangement; of course, the problem was that, although it felt natural, it also went horribly wrong. Being a material girl (or boy) seemed a lot less fun when you had to factor in the guilt, pain, and frustration.
Srila Prabhupada's definition brings hope. The very fact that we seek pleasure confirms that we need it, that it is there for our taking. And the fact that we feel more frustration when we seem to find it in the acquisitions of this world -- in 5th Avenue purchases, fast cars, sexual pursuits, big houses -- should clue us in that, perhaps, we are simply looking for it in the wrong place.
Ultimately, for a devotee of Krishna, going within means realizing one's eternal identity as a pure, loving servant of the Supreme Reservoir of Pleasure, Sri Krishna. We are spiritual beings because our source is a purely spiritual personality. In Krishna consciousness spirituality is not some navel-gazing theoretical exercise. It is practical, focused, joyful living. It is experiencing a higher taste. Yes, there are struggles. As our pliable faith is being forged, we flutter back and forth between the external and the internal. Hopefully, with time and grace, we develop the humility to learn our lessons.
And what about our material girl? Well, if her reportedly sincere foray into the meditative world of Kabbalah is any indication, Madonna may finally be seeking pleasure internally as well. More than 20 years later, maybe hers is not such a material world after all.
.vbd.
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